Battery terminal clamp and cable connecter



March 19, 19 35. KIMBALL 1,995,182

BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP AND CABLE CONNECTER Filed March 12, 1954 I/wm/roE Jay/v /Z K/MBHLL irrae/vn Patented Mar. 19, 1935 H UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMP AND'CABLE,

e r .CONNECTERI':

John A. Kimball 'hay lorville, in. if Application March 12, 1934, Serial "No; 715,073;

3 Claims. (01. 173-259) This invention relates "to battery terminal and a resilient yoke connecting the elements to clamps and connectersfor use in connecting the draw them togetheron the post, the said contact endsiof battery cables to the terminal posts of element aving notches to clear the upper end storage batteries; Ordinarily screw or bolt opof the post as the device is applied thereto and erated clamps of various kinds are employed there being provided an adapter and protecting for this purpose, but such clamps readily corrode element over the "post both to increase the size of and become-rusted to their seats so that they are a small post to .fit' the'device. and to protect the then hard to loosen or 'remove Without danger p st from sc ring and marring by. the device as of damage to the battery and plates thereof. it is applied and removed.

Moreover such corrosion penetrates the joints With these andesuch Othe and f ther Objects 10 of the connection and destroys or. seriously imand advantages in view aswill, appear from the pairs the e1ectrica1 acti following specification taken in connection with It is the prime purpose of. the present invention he accompanying drawin wherein are shown. to provide a terminal clamp and connecter which v ral preferred embodiments of, the invention,

is resiliently held to its seat upon the post, and attention is now directed to the said draw n 5 which therefore may be readily and quickly inwherein: V stalled or removed by simply prying the same on Figure 1 is a side elevation ofone preferred or oif through the use of a screw driver or simirm f. e v the device being here lar bitted tool, or with thejhands alone. Shown asfin P f pplication to and up Another object is to provide a terminal clamp a battery terminal post, the screw driver.v here 20 and connecter comprising a connecter lug and Shown as aneperating tOOl be ng moved for the contact element in unitary form, the same being purp s a represented y arrow; adapted at one'portion for engaging the end of F ur 2 is a View Similar to a Of Figure a cable and at another portion for contacting a sh w n h device l as in the process connection. cated by; the arrow. I a I Still another object is to provide a terminal i u e 3 3 enlarged P w Of the p fi clamp and connecter comprising aconnecter form'of clamp and connector showniin Figures lug or element adapted for engaging an end of a e dI L cable and for-contacting one side of a terminal -.F 4 isa d evat on of the Structure post, and. means having a bearing at the opp'of Fi r '3, Showing the action of the clearsite side of the terminal post for resiliently pressance'notches in the. contact lug. r V 7 ing the connecter lug to the post for maintain-V Figure'5 i l d elevation of a m d fi d form ing the electrical 'connection. of clamp. and connecter as mounted on a terminal 35 And still another object is to providein a device DOStC v I r I I of the kind referred to, the combination with a 1 Figure 6 is a plan View of the assembly shown battery terminal post and a cable end, of an elecin Figure 5- a I V 7 trical connecter lug adapted at one portion for v Fi r '7 i a side. el vation of still another contacting one side of the terminal post and modification of ,the'invention showing the use of 40 provided with means for engaging thecable end, a ad pte and p otectingv element for the terand'a resilient or spring link or yoke connected minal p t le n he Sc ew driver at one portion with said connecter lug, the opbit in applying'thisform of connecter to the post. posite portion of the link having abearing at the Figure 8 i a p View Of the adapter nd pr opposite side of the terminal post for resiliently tectingelement as mounted onthe post.

pressing the connecter lug to the post for maini u e 9 a d t i w O One Side of a tel taining it in place thereupon, the said v bearing minal'post show the fi th re n of-the use int of th yoke being provided with 3, ply apof this invention in the way of automatically erture or space for the insertion of an operating scraping the contacting surfaces of the post to 30 tool for installing or removing the said device. affQ 'd a ocdele t ical connection. Y I Another object is toprovide a terminal device As shownin Figures. 1 to 4 the invention comof this kind embodying a connecter lug adapted prisesaeonnecterlug and contact element 1, the for connection to the 1 cable and for contacting same being formed at oneportion with a sleeve 2 4 one side of theterminal post, acontact elementintowhicha. cable1end.3 may be read ly inserted 1 ,5 adapted for engaging the other side of -the'post andsoldred "in'usual manner for a'g'ood 'e'leci trical connection, the said lug being cut away semi-circularly at one margin to form acurved of proper gage, this length of-wire being bent medially upon itself to form a general bight portion 8 and spaced and parallel r legs -9; the ends of the legs being bent straight down toward the lug 1 at 10, and the extremities 11 of the legs being then turned inwardly in transverse alignment and freely seated within the sockets 6 of the lug, i

the general bight portion 8 of the yoke being turned first downwardly or so as to lie adjacent the terminal post when mounted, andout of the plane of the legs 9, asrepresentedat 1 2. V A contact lug 13 of U-shaped form isprovided and has notches 14 to receive the bight 8 of the yoke '7 whereon'the lug is mounted and held by hammering down small teats 'or ears 15 overhanging the notches 14 as shown. So mounted, the ends of the, legs or sides 16 of the lug 13 may be turned inwardly toward the connecter element 1 as shown throughout the drawing.

In the use of this form of the invention the cable end 3 is first properly inserted and soldered in the sleeve 2 and the lug 1 is seated'against one side of the terminal'post 5 withthe contact face 4 properly adjusted to the post. The yoke 'I-and contact lug 13 are then lowered over against the post as shown in Figures and the bit 17 of a screw driver 18 orsimilar tool is placed between the bight S and'the side of the post oppositely to the lug 1 as represented in Figure 1. The handle of the screw driver being then pulled back as indicated by the arrow, the yoke, 7 is readily sprung and the contact lug 13 moved down over the top of and against the side of the post after which the tool isremoved. The reverse of this operation removes the device from the post as shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that the length of the yoke 7 is such that the bight'B is spaced from the post 5 sufficiently to provide a tool space or opening 19 for the reception of the screw driver bit 17 as described. In the applied position of the device the edges of the contact lug sides 16 engage and score the post 5 as shown at 20 forming a clean and low resistance elec trical connection. 'Also in the process of working the contact lug 13 down over the post the end of the screw driver bit 1'? will bite into' the soft lead of the terminal post 5 obtaining a good grip for the necessary prying action and forming what might be termed a ratchetaction, the steps or bites formed by the tool in the post being indicated at 21 in Figure 9. The edges of the' said contact lug sides 16 may have clearance notches 22 which clear the upper end'or corner of the post 5 as the device is being applied facilitating the operation. The sockets 6 for the yoke '7, opening as theydo out alongside the sleeve 2, the yoke! may be readily removed from the connecter lug when the device is not in use and then by placing'the yoke in a vise it may beldrawn up and adjusted to' any size and to grip the post tightly when the device is applied; This arrangement also makes for convenient replacement of any of the elements if necessary; o 1

In the embodiment of thejinvention shown in apron. portion 24 of Figures 5 and 6 the connecter lug lot has the sleeve 2a positioned or extended crosswise of the lug along the end remote from the post 5a and the yoke 7a is here shown as being in the form of a regular C-shaped loop with the extremities 11a brought around intotransverse alignment and pivotally seated in the sockets 6b, the bight portion 8a of the loop being connected to the contact lug 13a exactly as described above. The operation of this form is similar to that fully described hereinbefore.

. As shown in Figures '7 and 8 an adapter and protecting element 23 may be used, the same comprising an arcuate apron-like portion 24 adapted to fit over the side of the terminal post 5b. and a supporting lip or finger 25 adapted to overlie the top of the post. When so mounted the contact lug 132) may be forced down over this the adapter and pressed thereagainst by the action of the yoke 7b and the connecter lug 1b.'- This adapter not only increases the size of a very small post so as to permit the use of the clamp thereon but also protects the post from the scoring action of the lug 13b and of the screw driver bit'l'lb as will be readily evident. The said bit 1'7b will, of course, engage the apron 24-and act as a pry to work the contact lug down. over the post in the manner described and as shown in Figure 7. These adapters may be made up in various sizes and thicknesses for various terminal posts and to compensate for wear and stretching of the lugs and the yoke:

It is thought that the formation, structure, operation andadvantages of the invention will be fully understood from the foregoing descriptions. Some of those advantages are: that the pivotal mounting of the resilient yokes to their contact lugs render those lugs self-adjustable to the sides of the terminal posts upon which they are used; that these devices may be easily and readily applied or removed and cannot become sealed to the posts through corrosion to. the extent that they are hard to remove; that the slidable or frictional contact of the lugs upon the sides of the posts in the act of mounting same operates automaticallyto scrape off any insulating films of grease, dirt or rust that may have accumulated, thereby providing at alltimes a perfect electrical contact ,and connection; and that the resiliency of, the yokes render them self adjusting to different sizes of posts.

The 'eifect of the frictional and slidable contact of the contact lugs' or bearing points of the devices, upon the side surfaces of the terminal posts, is clearly shown in Figure 5' of the drawing, where is shown alsothe bit marks formed by the operatingtool into the comparatively soft metal of the post, whereby the tool is enabled easily to act as'a pry in'manner pointed out.

And while I have here pointed out and described certain specific forms. of the said invention, and the several of, it is understood that I may vary those forms and details as may be desirable or necessary in the practical development of the invention for commercial purposes, not departing, however, from the. spirit" of the invention as defined in the appendedvcl'aims.

I- claim: 7

V 1. In a device of the kind described, a connecter lug for removably contacting one side of a batteryvterminal post, the said lug havinga sleeve for receiving ,-a battery cable end and having structural details there-l said sockets and including a bight, a U-shaped contact lug mounted on the bight of the yoke and adapted at its sides to engage the opposite side of the terminal post to hold the said connecter lug in place thereon, the said sides of the contact lug having notches to clear the top of the terminal post as the lug is forced down over the post.

2. In a device of the kind described, a connecter lug formed for removably contacting one side of a battery terminal post, means on the lug for engaging a cable end, a contractile spring yoke connected at one portion with the said lug and including abight portion disposable at the opposite side of the terminal post, and a contact lug pivotally mounted upon the saidbight of the yoke, the said contact lug being notched out at its side adapted for contacting the terminal post to facilitate its clearing the top 01 said post as it is forced down over the same.

3. Ina device of the kind described, a connecter element for removably contacting one side of a battery terminal post, means on the element for engaging a cable end, a contractile spring'yoke 7 pivotally connected with the connecter element and including a bight portion disposable at the opposite side of the terminal post, and a contact element pivotally mounted on the bight portion, the contact element being formed'for setting at the said opposite side of the terminal post and recessed to facilitate its clearing of the top of the post as it is forced down over thesame.

JOHN A. KIMBALL. 

